BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to provide anatomic guidance for the extent (technique) of suboccipital node dissection. METHODS Five human cadaver necks (9 sides) were studied. Boundaries were the superior nuchal line and external occipital protuberance (cranial), the nuchal ligament (medial), an imaginary line through C7 (caudal), and the posterior wall of the auditory channel (ant...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was investigated the effect of tight clothes on cervical and thoracic spine muscles activities during shoulder abduction. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects of this study were 10 healthy males. The subjects performed two shoulder abduction trials for each of two jacket-wearing conditions. The right upper, middle, and lower trapezius and serratus anterior mus...

[Purpose] This study examined the activation of the rhomboid muscle according to the angle of the arm. [Subjects and Methods] The current study was conducted on 15 healthy males. The participants performed the pulling exercise in 5 conditions. The surface electromyography system was used to measure the muscle activities of the rhomboid and upper trapezius. [Results] The activity of the upper tr...

Scapular winging is a rare debilitating condition that leads to limited functional activity of the upper extremity. It is the result of numerous causes, including traumatic, iatrogenic, and idiopathic processes that most often result in nerve injury and paralysis of either the serratus anterior, trapezius, or rhomboid muscles. Diagnosis is easily made upon visible inspection of the scapula, wit...

The aim of this study was to investigate rider muscle activity in relation to horse movement. Electromyographic (EMG) activity of 12 upper-body muscles was recorded simultaneously with the horse’s footfall timing for six riders, riding the same horse at trot. Data for five strides were analysed for each rider. Rectus abdominis, upper trapezius, middle trapezius, flexor carpi radialis, biceps br...

[Purpose] This study examined differences in neck muscle activity in two different head positions during tackles with the aim of contributing to the prevention of sports injuries. [Subjects] The subjects were 28 male high-school rugby players. [Methods] Two tackle positions were considered: a head-up position and a head-down position. Muscle activities of the sternocleidomastoid muscles and the...

BACKGROUND Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) are hyperirritable spots located in taut bands of muscle fibres. Electrophysiological studies indicate that abnormal electrical activity is detectable near MTrPs. This phenomenon has been described as endplate noise and it has been purported to be associated MTrP pathophysiology. Thus, it is suggested that MTrPs will be overlap the innervation zone (...

BACKGROUND Microdialysis (MD) of the trapezius muscle has been an attractive technique to investigating small molecules and metabolites in chronic musculoskeletal pain in human. Large biomolecules such as proteins also cross the dialysis membrane of the catheters. In this study we have applied in vivo MD in combination with two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry to ide...

The firing pattern of low-threshold motor units was examined in the human trapezius and first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscles during slowly augmenting, low-amplitude contractions that were intended to mimic contractile activity in postural muscles. The motor unit activity was detected with a special needle electrode and was analyzed with the assistance of computer algorithms. The surface elec...

CONTEXT Handheld dynamometry (HHD) is considered an objective method of measuring strength, but the reliability of the procedure can be compromised by inadequate tester strength and insufficient stabilization of the dynamometer especially, for the scapular muscles. OBJECTIVE Primarily, to determine the intrarater reliability of HHD when testing shoulder and scapular muscle strength, and secon...